Magnetic lid holder



g- 1953 A. E. NELSON 2,643,127

MAGNETIC LID HOLDER Filed Aug. 20, 1948 avwv z Patented Aug. 11, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAGNETIC LID HOLDER Arthur E. Nelson, St. Louis, Mo. Application August 20, 1948, Serial No. 45,400

2 Claims. (Cl. 306.4)

The present invention relates generally to kitchen aids, and more particularly to a novel magnetic top or lid holder for use with mechanical type can openers.

The known type of mechanical can openers have several disadvantages, one of which is that the severed can top or lid often falls back into the can, thereby causing the contents to become contaminated, and necessitating a time consuming removal operation. Also, if the operator attempts to hold the lid or top while it is being severed from the can, the rough and sharp edges often inflict jagged cuts.

Various types of holding devices have been devised to support the can top after the severing operation, but they have not proven completely satisfactory. Some fail to securely hold the larger size tops, others cannot accommodate the smaller tops, and most fail to prevent an edge of the top from falling into the contents of the can after it has been severed therefrom.

It is a primary object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a novel magnetic can top or lid holder which will remain in contact with a can during the severing operation, and which will securely hold the top after it has been severed from a can.

Another object is to provide a magnetic top holder which will substantialy prevent the edge of a severed top from dipping into the contents of the can.

Another object is to provide a magnetic top holder which has a four-point contact with the can top being severed.

Other objects are to provide a magnetic can top holder which has a minimum number of parts, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which is ruggedly formed and, hence, will render years of service, and which can be used with a minimum amount of instruction.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a can top holder constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, shown attached to a mechanical type can opener in the process of severing the top from a can;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the can opener, top holder, and can;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view 2 taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2, showing only the top holder;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the top holder and a portion of the can opener, showing the position of the parts and a severed top after the severing operation; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the magnet assembly.

Referring to the drawing more particularly by reference numerals, I0 indicates generally a magnetic top holder secured to a mechanical can opener l2 of a type as described in application, Serial No. 601,262, filed June 23, 1945, now Patent No. 2,462,416, granted February 22, 1949.

The can opener includes a frame M on which is slidably mounted a carrier I6. A cutter disc I8 is rotatably mounted on the carrier [6 and a lever 28 is positioned to move the carrier relative to the frame I4. A crank 22 and a feed wheel 24 are rotatably mounted on the lower portion of the frame [4. A can stop bracket 23 formed integral with the carrier It extends outwardly from the frame I4.

The top holder [0 includes a housing 28 with depending side plates 30 and 32 which has an arcuate support member 33 formed integral therewith, the free end of said support member being secured to the bracket 26 by a rivet 3|. Aligned holes 34 and 36 are formed in the side plates 30 and 32, and a hole 38 is formed in the arcuate support member 33.

The top holder Ill also includes a magnet assembly 39, shown apart in Fig. 6, which includes a rod-like permanent magnet 40 which has plates 42 and 44 secured to the ends therof by means of a long brass rivet 46. The plates 42 and 44 have depending projections 48 formed on the bottom edges and tabs 50 and 52, respectively, formed normal to the front edges thereof. Aligned holes 54 and 56 are formed in the plates 42 and 44, respectively, and a non-magnetic U-shaped Wire support 58 is loosely disposed therein with the ends 60 and 62 extending outwardly beyond the faces of the plates 42 and 44.

The magnet assembly 39 is pivotally disposed within the housing 28 with the ends 68 and 62 of the wire support 28 extending through the holes 34 and 36, respectively, formed in the side plates 30 and 32. The diameters of the holes 34 and 36 are several times greater than those of the wire ends 60 and 62, so that the magnet assembly 39 can float in its support.

A resilient spring wire 64 has one end 66 bent at right angles and anchored in the hole 38 and the other end supported by the wire 58 (Fig. 4),

the wire spring 64 being in contact with the bottom of the magnet 40 intermediate its ends to counteract the normal pivotal bias of the magnet assembly 39. The wire spring 64 does not interfere with the pivotal floating action of the assembly 39.

It has also been found that dipping of the held severed lid into the can contents may be substantially eliminated by reversing the illustrated position of the housing 28 and assembly 39 so that the open side of the housing 28 is to the left instead of to the right as in Fig. 1. Thus reversed through one hundred and eighty degrees, the housing 28 itself wil block objectionable pivoting of the magnet assembly 39, as is manifest.

In use, to prepare the can opener I2 for reception of a can, the lever 20 is moved toward the operator, or to the right in Fig. 1, thereby causing the carrier 16 to slide backwardly and upwardly on the frame l4 and move the cutter disc l3 away from the feed wheel 24. A can C is then placed in cutting position adjacent the feed wheel 24 and the lever 20 returned to a position on top of the frame [4, thereby causing the cutter disc l8 to penetrate the can top T.

When the can C is placed in a cutting position, the top T comes into contact with the projections 48 on the plates 42 and 44 and forces the magnet assembly 39 upwardly in housing 28. The loose fit of the wire ends 69 and 62 in the holes 34 and 36 permits this upward movement of the magnet assembly 39. In this position, a large percentage of the magnetic lines of force from one end of the magnet 40 passes through one plate, down through its projections, through the can top, up through the projections of the other plate, and back to the other end of the magnet, thereby completing the magnetic path.

When the crank 22 is turned, the can C is rotated about its vertical axis by the feed wheel 24, and, as the top rotates, the projections 43 remain in sliding contact with it because of the weight of the magnet assembly 39 and the attraction between the can top '1 and the projections 48 on the plates 42 and 44.

The cutting action of the opener l2 tends to cause the portion of the top T farthest from the operator to dip into the can C immediately prior to the cutter disc 18 completing the operation of severing the top from the can. This is opposed by the resilient wire spring 64 which holds the magnet assembly 39 in a substantially horizontal position due to its contact with the magnet 40. Thus, after the top T has been severed from the can C, the magnet assembly 39 remains in a substantially horizontal position and holds the top T above the contents of the can by the magnetic attraction between the projections 48 and the can top '1. This permits the can to be removed from the opener [2 Without having the top T fall into the can and without the operator having to hold the top while it is being severed from the can.

The area formed by the projections 43 preferably is smaller than the top of a baby food can so that the present magnetic top holder 10 can be used with the smallest size food cans prevalent at the present time. Also, because of the fourpoint contact of the magnet assembly 39 with a can top, there is practically no chance of having even the largest size tops accidentally fall off the magnetic holder I0 into the contents of a can.

Because of the wide spacing of the plates 42 and 44, which was found advantageous in supporting the larger sized can tops, it was determined to be advisable to have a relatively low reluctance between the plates when the opener was not in use in order to preserve the strength of the permanent magnet 40. This is accomplished by the tabs and 52 which shorten the air gap between the plates 42 and 44 and thereby decrease the reluctance of the magnetic path.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing have been given only by way of illustration and example, and that changes and alterations in the present disclosure, which will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, means for severing the top from a can, a magnet assembly comprising a pair of parallel vertical plates and a rod-like permanent magnet interposed therebetween, integral depending projections on each of said plates adapted to contact a can top and to form therewith paths of low magnetic reluctance during said contact, an integral tab on each of said plates extending toward its counterpart on the other of said plates, said tabs cooperating to establish a path of relatively greater magnetic reluctance than said paths aforementioned, and providing a path of comparatively low magnetic reluctance during the absence of said contact aforementioned, and mounting means for disposing said magnet assembly in predetermined relation to said severing means.

2. In combination, means for severing the top from a can, magnetic means for preventing a severed top from falling into a can from which it has been severed, a housing at least partially enclosing said magnetic means, a support pivotally retaining said magnetic means in said housing, a resilient element attached to said housing and engaging said magnetic means for biasing the latter toward a predetermined position relative to said housing, and means mounting said housing in predetermined position relative to said severing means.

ARTHUR E. NELSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,441,903 Balazuik Jan. 9, 1923 1,863,531 Bungay June 14, 1932 2,102,409 Faus Dec. 14, 1937 2,226,287 Miller Dec. 24, 1940 2,269,149 Edgar Jan. 6, 1942 2,296,073 Walgo Sept. 15, 1942 2,380,560 Urquhart July 31, 1945. 2,437,234 Webb Mar. 2, 1948 2,573,427 Frolich Oct. 30, 1951 

